Ben Taylor is an artist who I’ve kept tabs on over the years, albeit casually, so I missed the fact that he’d released a new album, Listening, in mid-2012. I picked up a copy when I was traipsing about the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis (one of the best music stores I’ve been to in ages) and finally got around to listening to it today, and it is fantastic. Taylor, of course, is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon, and has some big musical shoes to fill. He is largely his own musical creature, but sometimes he sounds so much like his father that it’s eerie. On “Oh Brother”, he pays homage to his father both lyrically and in vocal styling, in a way that makes me smile a whole lot.
no man is a hero every day
and even a champion loses the day before the race
try not to be sleeping when you’re wide awake
and when your chance comes, have fun, don’t be afraid
Ben Taylor: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter